![]() No. 120, March 26, 2020 ![]() COVID-19 UPDATES Information and Resources
Yesterday, we held an all-member call to talk through the latest updates related to the COVID-19 public health crisis. Thank you to the more-than 200 people who joined us, and please join us again next Wednesday, April 1, at 11am CT/12 PM ET (calendar invite coming soon).
A majority of what we discussed pertained to the federal government’s policies and regulations as they work to mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19. You can find much of this information on our COVID-19 Resources page, and we will continue to update the site as more policies and laws are finalized. You can also find links to third party organizations tracking state responses and policies. We hope you find this helpful, but please don't hesitate to email us at covid19@growthenergy.org if there are other questions we can help with.
Thank you for your support in this critical time and we'll continue to keep you updated.
WORKING FOR YOU LEGAL Trump Administration does not appeal 10th Circuit Court ruling on SREs IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS Congress set to consider Phase Three Coronavirus package IN REGULATIONS Guidance on ethanol for hand sanitizer and disinfectant IN OUR ASSOCIATION All-member call on Wed., April 1, 2020 IN COMMUNICATIONS Weathering the COVID-19 crisis UPCOMING EVENTS
All-member call Wednesday, April 1st 11 AM CT / 12 PM ET *Call in details will be sent via Member Alert
LEGAL Trump Administration does not appeal 10th Circuit Court ruling on SREs
On Jan. 24, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit issued a ruling stating that EPA cannot extend SREs for refineries whose temporary exemptions had ever lapsed, as they had for three refineries at issue in this case, and cannot extend SREs unless the refineries’ alleged disproportionate economic hardships are caused solely by RFS compliance.
After requesting an extension, the Trump Administration had until March 24 to decide whether they would petition for a rehearing of the 10th Circuit's ruling, a type of appeal. We are glad to share that the administration did not appeal.
Emily Skor told media in a statement that, "The administration made the right call by deciding to not appeal the court’s decision, and we look forward to receiving more guidance on how they will address SREs. We urge EPA to start by swiftly applying the 10th Circuit ruling nationwide and to the 25 pending exemptions for 2019."
We are grateful to the thousands of you who wrote your members of Congress, asking them to pressure the administration to stand down on an appeal. Your efforts paid off.
However, much uncertainty remains as to how EPA will address the 25 pending SREs and if they will apply this ruling nationwide. We will continue to keep the pressure up and demand that EPA follow the law, and keep you updated on any new developments. For more details, contact General Counsel Joe Kakesh.
IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS Congress set to consider Phase Three Coronavirus package This week, Republican and Democrat Senators came to an agreement to move forward with a historic stimulus package (Phase Three) worth $2 trillion in a massive effort to combat economic damage caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Growth Energy staff is currently reviewing the language released by the Senate to identify financial avenues ethanol plants can utilize to blunt the harm caused by the significant reduction in fuel demand.
Partnering with our champions Sen. Grassley, Sen. Stabenow, Rep. Peterson, and Rep. Bustos, we have made an aggressive ask for USDA to provide retroactive feedstock purchases through Commodity Credit Corporation authorities in order to inject a rush of capital infusion into the ethanol industry.
Some top-line items of Phase Three include:
It is widely expected that a Phase Four stimulus package is coming in a month or two, and we will continue to advocate for our industry as negotiations begin. For more details, contact Vice President of Government Affairs John Fuher. IN REGULATIONS Guidance on ethanol for hand sanitizer and disinfectant
This week, Growth Energy sent a letter to U.S. EPA, FDA, and TTB requesting further guidance on ethanol production for hand sanitizer and disinfectant, asking "that the agencies work together as soon as possible to provide updated guidance and clarity that would allow our producers to immediately meet the growing needs in the marketplace, so that we can all work together to keep our nation safe in response to COVID-19."
We received a prompt response from EPA, stating the following:
"EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs has identified are 19 products on List N where ethanol is the active ingredient. https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2. For five of the products, ethanol is the sole active ingredient, and for 14, the products contain additional active ingredients combined with ethanol. If EPA were to receive applications for additional applications for ethanol-based products, we would expedite them per our existing process.
"Another option is for an ethanol producer to become a supplemental registrant for an existing, already-registered ethanol-based disinfectant. In some cases, the quickest way for the company to produce might be to become a supplemental producer for a registrant listed on list of approved viral disinfectants: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2. They could produce a registered product according to agreement. Additional information can be found at this link: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/pesticide-registration-manual-chapter-9-supplemental-distribution-registered. This can be accomplished by contacting one of the companies who already has a product that has the emerging viral pathogen claim on their label."
The FDA has also provided further clarification on their guidance, which can be found by clicking the button below and on our COVID-19 Response page. We will continue working to ensure this regulatory process is streamlined for our producers.
For more details or questions, contact Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley. IN OUR ASSOCIATION All-member call on Wed., April 1st
In an effort to keep you up to date on COVID-19 activity, we will be holding another all-member call next Wednesday, April 1st at 11 AM CT/12 PM ET. Please be on the lookout for a Member Alert email with call-in information. For more details, contact Vice President of Development Kelly Manning. IN COMMUNICATIONS Weathering the COVID-19 crisis
This week, Growth Energy shared a letter with our member plant general managers asking them to help keep our agricultural partners up-to-speed on the current situation by sending this letter to farmers and suppliers in their community. It outlines the devastating forecast for corn purchases and worsening conditions for biofuel demand.
In fact, Pro-Exporter, a respected agricultural economics firm, has outlined one estimate showing a 957 million gallon drop in ethanol demand from March to May, which equates to a 331 million bushel loss in corn demand. Additionally, corn futures are already beginning to reflect the decline with contracts falling to historic lows.
Already, both federal and state authorities have been working to slow the economic impact, but unfortunately for farm communities across the country, it’s not enough. We also asked our GM's to help by sending government officials an email through our action center to ensure we continue to speak with a united voice.
Working together, we can and will ensure that rural America is positioned to reinvest and rebuild in the months to come, and we are grateful for your continued support. For more details, contact Senior Vice President of Communications Elizabeth Funderburk.
The Weekly Rundown is the weekly newsletter for Growth Energy's members. It is published weekly by the communications staff at Growth Energy. For more information, email team@growthenergy.org or visit our website GrowthEnergy.org. You're receiving this newsletter because you've subscribed to Growth Energy's The Weekly Rundown. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe instantly. Copyright © 2020 Growth Energy. |